When the Circus Comes to Town (Again): Phils-Mets Game 1

The date many Phillies fans have had circled on their calendars has arrived—the Mets and their jorted masses are here to invade Citizens Bank Park once again. We all know the epic fiasco that is the current Mets team, but as much as it pains me to say this... they're still within striking distance and nowhere near ready to call it a season at the halfway point. However, although this will be a tough series for the Phillies, they showed us last year that they have what it takes to dominate the turds from Flushing.

Tonight will obviously be the most difficult test of the series for the Phils, at least on paper. They face Johan Santana, one of the finest illustrations that a pitcher's W-L record is a weak indicator or his talent. Johan is, for my money, still the best pitcher in baseball, and his current 3.01 ERA is pretty damn good. He's a powerful lefty, a combination that is always tough on the Phils' lineup, but his 7-7 record on the season shows that his starts do not often translate into Mets wins. New York has lost his last five starts, and he's pretty frustrated with the run support the Mets lineup is giving him. Despite going 1-4 in June, Santana put up a 2.27 ERA for the month. But enough about Johan... We all know he's a beast—the good news is he hasn't been a winner lately.

The Phils hope J.A. Happ's second career start is strong enough to keep the Mets quiet early. Aside from an unlikely pummeling of Santana, the next-best-case-scenario for the Phillies is to keep it close until the Mets need to call on their shitty bullpen. Despite being green, Happ has the stuff to make some noise, and he could put up a nice K total today. But if the kid needs to get pulled early, Cole's 8.2-inning start last night gave the lights-out bullpen plenty of rest.

We're done for the night, off to see some fireworks, have a few beers, and caveman-cook some dead animals. Happy 4th, and go Phils.